Cowgirls Looking to Build on Win Against BYU
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Oklahoma State got back into the win column on Wednesday night and has a chance to use that game as a way to spring back up the Big 12 standings.
After a disappointing loss at Colorado on Sunday, Cowgirl basketball recovered with a win against BYU on its home floor on Wednesday. In Amari Whiting’s matchup against her former team, she led the Cowgirls to victory with a stellar 16 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Of course, she was far from the only Cowgirl to fill up the stat sheet, with Micah Gray adding 25 points, Stailee Heard flirting with a triple-double with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals, plus Achol Akot’s six points, 14 rebounds, six assists and two steals.
While it might be difficult to get those types of performances from the starters every night, the Cowgirls are certainly a force to be reckoned with if they can fire on all cylinders. With a 16-point win against a team right next to OSU in the conference standings, the Cowgirls could easily take that game and turn it into the start of another winning streak over the next couple of weeks.
Although three of OSU’s next four games are on the road, they all come against unranked teams, meaning the Cowgirls have a real opportunity to reestablish themselves as a conference contender. While there might not be any prototypical statement games in this upcoming stretch, taking care of business against teams that OSU is better than could be what vaults the Cowgirls in the second half of the season.
In matchups against Arizona, Arizona State, UCF and Kansas State, ESPN Analytics gives OSU at least a 70% chance of winning each game, including a better than 90% chance in matchups against Arizona and UCF. With the odds clearly in OSU’s favor, avoiding some missteps and getting some wins away from home would be massive for OSU in the NCAA Tournament race as well.
Although OSU continues to project as a clear tournament team, it needs to rack up some of these easier wins in case it drops some against the ranked squads that still await in the final weeks of the regular season. After some disappointing losses early in conference play, OSU can rebound in a big way and still reach its ultimate goals for the season.
The Cowgirls still need to take care of business moving forward, but Wednesday night’s all-around effort vs. BYU set the stage for a hot streak.
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.